tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-374522072024-02-21T10:13:53.578-07:00motorcycle diariesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-50404212899546198452016-07-11T01:02:00.002-07:002016-07-11T01:02:50.106-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There was a mist of sadness that <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">floated over<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></span>the city of Athenon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Athenon was his home town. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He had visited Athenon just a few minutes ago, but that was in his scale of time. For the ordinary mortals of Athenon it was 7 years ago. For him, it was amazing how the city changed its colors n outlook so quickly. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Suddenly,
he fell into a deep chasm of guilt and fear, for, his sixth sense told
him that the reason why Athenon<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">s were</span> sad was him. It was something that he
said or did, but he just couldnt get around to remembering it<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Athenon was where he<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> still had friends. it was <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">his rock of Gibraltor. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was the </span>place where <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">he would always come back to. </span></span></span></span>It was the constant in his equation, the one that he could always rely on. I<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">n his trips across multiple galaxies and parallel universes, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">reality and imagination <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">often used to get mel<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ded into a cosmic <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">pot pourri. In the midst of <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">all that chaos, it was the familiar <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">sou<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">nds <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">f</span>rom Athenon that saved the day and <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">helped him keep his sanity and his foot <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">grounded on reality. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Athenon was the safe and warm place where he could go hide to escape from the thunderstorm. It reminded him of his child hood<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, his best friends and loved ones. But now, there w<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">as nothing familiar about the place. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Anxiety s<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">tarted spreading through his br<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ain cells, like a forest fire <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">on a hot dry windy day<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. It swept through his mind conquering most of his adamant and resilient cell<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">s</span>, <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">numbing the remaining <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ones</span>. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He felt like someone <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">just took his</span></span> mind and placed it upside in a cocktail shaker<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and kept shaking<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. His started exploding with numb pain. He had to escape. There w<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ere no exi<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ts from this dark and damp <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">world<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. It <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">reminded him of the dark green and cold </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>and thick forests of pacific North west. He had to escape<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, but he kept swirling down into a dark <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">spiral</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>. The more he struggled the stronger the fire of anxiety raged on<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> in his mind. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At the end of the tunnel there was no light or there was no sign of an end <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">for</span> the tunnel<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">..an endless black hole. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He was going through<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> that so fast that he could hear the sounds from the e<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ntire universe melded in<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">to a single frequency and then all of sudden a familiar sweet <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">sound <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">started flowing into his brain<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> and it started </span>distract<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ing </span>his mind from all the anxiety</span></span></span></span></span></span></span>. It slowed down his pace. He felt the tide turning<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
His visions became more and more real. He started receiving emotions from his trips into his senses .<br />While
mammoth hunting with his tribe members, he could feel the smelly breath
of the mammoth when he narrowly escaped from its swishing trunk. He
could feel the flaps of its wide ears reverberating in his heart. In
another world he was running through the forest, trying to escape from
enemy tribe members. He would start wondering if their arrows have any
venom. He would feel the searing pain spreading through his shoulder
when they eventually find their target. It would trigger his panic cycle
again, fueling the anxiety. <br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-9599936628152051432016-02-20T12:25:00.001-07:002016-02-20T12:25:15.474-07:00yawnn...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Another long hiatus and another round of reading through old posts..it never ceases to amaze me how much we change over time...and it gives a chance to reminisce who we used to be...</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-85538768863342058692013-07-19T11:10:00.001-07:002013-07-19T11:10:27.782-07:00Lost in Transiition?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Transition is a difficult and weird phase in life, especially from one relationship to another.<br />
What I am going to say will make sense to you only if you have ever had chicken pox in your life.<br />
<br />
In the last phase of this virus attack(yeah its a virus , like the one that causes lovearia - Courtesy: SRK in RBGG ), you have blisters all over your body. You are just waiting for the last of them to heal and drop off by themselves. You have a terrible itch to just pluck them off your back, but then that will leave you scarred for a lifetime.So you wait patiently for them to go through the due process of growing bigger, uglier and then finally wither away, so that you can go back into the world as a free man. Thank god for time - for it heals all.!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-31560162057838325862012-08-23T06:37:00.000-07:002012-08-23T06:37:08.887-07:00Keep Walking !!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There is something about walking !. Something nostalgic. Something that shows a higher sense of purpose. Something that portrays the protagonist as no ordinary human. Remember Gandhiji's great walk to Dandi. They say that if you need something badly, you would climb mountains and swim across oceans for it. In cinematic language, this often gets loosely translated as 'Walking/Running' long distances. <br />
<br />
Think Tom Hanks in 'Forest Gump' and forget immediately because apparently he didn't know why he kept running :P.<br />
<br />
Let's try Jude Law in 'Cold Mountain' - walking miles and miles to get back to his Love. No questions asked. It was during the Civil War and he was a renegade soldier. So he had to stay away from both the 'Yankees' and 'Southerners'. Good enough reason to walk/trek back home.<br />
<br />
Now, What about Shah Rukh Khan in 'My Name is Khan'. He was seen walking along deserted roads, deserts and some other very lonely stretches. Why did he have to walk - I often ask myself. Was he saving on cash? He was pretty well off when the journey began. Then, did he just feel like walking? Considering his aim was to spread the word that he was not a Terrorist, I would think the faster you reach out to people, the faster you spread the message. May be KJo thought that the lonely walker image would give a push to some tear glands.(Sorry SRK fans - Nothing against SRK/MNIK, just quoting an example of misusing the 'lonely walker' motif)<br />
<br />
Then there is 'The way back' - A few prisoners escape from a Siberian Prison during WW II and walk all the way to India. 4000 miles - Driven by the innate instinct to be 'Free', they walked through Frozen lakes, Forests, Mountains, Deserts, Communists and of course, the Himalayas. The true hero of the movie is the 'walk'. The characters play side kick to the great walk. At the end, the walk wins but not all the walkers win. There are no big surprises in the movie, but the 'walk' makes it a compelling watch.<br />
<br />
Emile Hirsch too did a lot of walking in 'Into the Wild'. He leaves no stone unturned in his aim of pitting himself against the harshest nature. Walking was just a means to his end. Anyways, can't help saying this - How amazing it would have been if Christopher McCandless had lived to tell the tale. <br />
<br />
Recently, Zac Efron walked all the way from 'Colorado' to 'Louisiana' in 'The Lucky One', that too, with a dog. All that, to trace a girl, whose picture miraculously saved him during combat. But, the walk gets over quickly, under the cover of 'titles' .Apparently he walked 'cos he simply 'likes' walking.<br />
Again, no hurry to find the girl he so desperately wants to meet?? So, he was made to walk, just to get some beautiful locales for the 'titles'?? Hmm...<br />
<br />
<br />
Some of the 'Johhny Walker' ads does of good job of equating 'Walking' to 'progress' and they exhort the human race to 'Keep Walking' with soulful music in the background and many of us comply immediately with a 'cheers' !!<br />
<br />
Well, let's Keep walking..I guess it is good for the health - ours and the planet's :)<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-83199705532760518352010-12-04T03:14:00.004-07:002010-12-04T03:51:16.016-07:00Actually.......i like long flights. i haven't met anyone who feels the same way.<br />For me its a lot of personal lazy time. No phones, No emails. Cut off from the world. Just a good book with lots of wine and food. Or may be a few movies. A good nap. A time to listen to music and think about random stuff. A walk along the aisle. A couple of drinks with strangers. An occasional peek out of the window - into icy arctic sky , an out of the worldly sun in the horizon , a faraway jet blinking its way through or a glittering city. To top it all - the sudden acceleration and deceleration of take off and touch downs -it thrills me.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-6915961489870372342010-10-24T15:06:00.003-07:002010-10-24T15:44:05.786-07:00DCH recap<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcv60Cb6i8jtp53f63nDquZ6BPzuWzgfm9Z_gmea7vr4OwIG8SSNF-tYxqPnyAePu6iJOUzRluFMuTEvTVyhR0m9zZlIkrQ3yAN20PkQICgbskc4SOxJn1aGTyRIOR6htA48/s1600/IMG_4517.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcv60Cb6i8jtp53f63nDquZ6BPzuWzgfm9Z_gmea7vr4OwIG8SSNF-tYxqPnyAePu6iJOUzRluFMuTEvTVyhR0m9zZlIkrQ3yAN20PkQICgbskc4SOxJn1aGTyRIOR6htA48/s320/IMG_4517.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531740733118175698" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-52284590770529930532010-10-24T15:00:00.001-07:002010-10-24T15:05:59.184-07:00Spotting dolphins off Long Island<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHc1QIcSyvotitCozdUq8gRk6P46rvnEc7ADnM-OMfBrf5JhIvmn_0NrLMiDHLpTqvjLUYTqlHo8JbziAkVwccw6RuASoR9NdqvPd8bJoEGt4gn4eoPD3fQ1IwuObF6jwJ5Y/s1600/IMG_4514.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHc1QIcSyvotitCozdUq8gRk6P46rvnEc7ADnM-OMfBrf5JhIvmn_0NrLMiDHLpTqvjLUYTqlHo8JbziAkVwccw6RuASoR9NdqvPd8bJoEGt4gn4eoPD3fQ1IwuObF6jwJ5Y/s320/IMG_4514.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531737267730175762" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-63810533383485016712010-10-24T14:54:00.002-07:002010-10-24T14:56:58.589-07:00Lightning on Statue of Liberty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AFadS7NIzVaAfRCJW1wZu-C44vA6aVymdWrmWzBdGYfOtb2Qtu7itxfw9MISAAFunf0HKPUxss5CgA2qDKTsgO1En15_GgbZE6zKeRZ54EaTxQH17A4dxzQ5SqGYF64SDrg/s1600/Lightning_Statue_of_Liberty--300x300.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AFadS7NIzVaAfRCJW1wZu-C44vA6aVymdWrmWzBdGYfOtb2Qtu7itxfw9MISAAFunf0HKPUxss5CgA2qDKTsgO1En15_GgbZE6zKeRZ54EaTxQH17A4dxzQ5SqGYF64SDrg/s320/Lightning_Statue_of_Liberty--300x300.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531734409970799826" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-83141508969602733282010-10-24T14:51:00.003-07:002010-10-24T14:56:25.468-07:00US Open 2010 - Djokovic Vs Blake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXiL4Hf_0TD11Ji0hS3lZ9rWetRxpw0iV5afZMiISQzPYOmt3TTS1Y2yjuSBpKqAheg-N040KOwKgx9E1owZUX7ijrgZhkH4zB9oFVLDiZPaQXmwjvKYCKjY8HhakwWlEc2k/s1600/IMG_9530.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXiL4Hf_0TD11Ji0hS3lZ9rWetRxpw0iV5afZMiISQzPYOmt3TTS1Y2yjuSBpKqAheg-N040KOwKgx9E1owZUX7ijrgZhkH4zB9oFVLDiZPaQXmwjvKYCKjY8HhakwWlEc2k/s320/IMG_9530.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531733815660056994" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-90317146280592716512010-07-25T00:57:00.001-07:002010-07-25T01:00:14.784-07:00one of these days i had a glimpse of heaven... just like that<br /><br />i was 20,000 ft up in the air...looking out of the window i could see the mighty western ghats covered in a green carpet...the valley was submerged in a huge lake which glistened in the morning rays of sunlight.<br /><br />Needless to say it was magical...<br /><br />and i had breakfast in front me, served by a beautiful air hostess...i took a bite and sat back...i looked my beautiful wife ..she had already digged half-way through her breakfast and was working on the rest with religious enthusiasm.<br /><br />Though, these aren't all the likely ingredients for nirvana, it was a moment of serentiy. i was at peace, with myself and the world. everything felt right or i didnt care about anything?<br />but i smiled to myself savoring that moment of bliss..Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-75078401056770657702010-07-05T08:54:00.008-07:002010-07-05T09:20:00.409-07:00Finally !I have had a lot of people complaining that there is nothing related to a motorcycle in this blog and that the name of the blog is quite misguiding<br />So here is a tiny effort to win back some of the lost good will :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLECFmzoNpG9Ac_bZIqIpFJQVoUdv_k2lDsEU8Jk_ekHTfzKLr-HqMASshpV-hz2Or-W8On1pHLDVd6m-jK-jdSQHmZ-pFZG-Zi0-RoA1VUIaPPfi_d3x3js4ebhvP4XGL_Yo/s1600/Bikers+034.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLECFmzoNpG9Ac_bZIqIpFJQVoUdv_k2lDsEU8Jk_ekHTfzKLr-HqMASshpV-hz2Or-W8On1pHLDVd6m-jK-jdSQHmZ-pFZG-Zi0-RoA1VUIaPPfi_d3x3js4ebhvP4XGL_Yo/s400/Bikers+034.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490456256611704690" /></a><br /><br />That's my first motorcycle..Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-35647411465396476122009-06-07T23:11:00.003-07:002009-06-07T23:37:48.155-07:00Its good to be lost !Every curve you take on this road, you expect to meet someone familiar, only to be frowned upon by a yellow frog or greeted by the curious stare of a hornbill. <br /><br />Trust me, you will never meet anyone from your neighbourhood or your work place on this road. You will never have to stop to make small talk, unless you want to do that to a wild orchid or a hopping rabbit.<br /><br />I scan the skyline on my horizon. There ! I see a majestic animal, grazing the vast grasslands. <br /><br />Three days with no TV, no Internet, no mobiles, no newspaper,no..well the only luxury you have here is unbelievably tasty food, which the local chef churns out and the soothing greenery all around you.<br /><br />Its good to be lost once in a while.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-47819264368849810952009-06-07T22:39:00.002-07:002009-06-07T23:05:53.138-07:00What is life?It is the flash of a firefly in the night. <br />It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. <br />It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.<br />~ A Native American Indian's wordsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-32896814518359381252008-09-05T12:17:00.002-07:002008-09-05T12:41:23.235-07:00yawnnnn....hmm...so its been more than a year since i blogged..shocking..i thot it was just yesterday that i posted last!<br />its ok, ive been busy doing other stuff...i tell myself...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-13328714909975715862007-07-14T17:19:00.000-07:002008-12-09T12:01:38.159-07:00food for thought<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj9I_B7S0Mk3gqGJ8RDB0-B2Vct-yPBfFwjAERX0i_unt32KT_ULoOCuM64RCKFVKlLXiIvqwNO_uwSpqBiCxB7gxAjGJvED_Mkj26pIrEV1GgeFyu-6d6MsLmXova30pr8Q/s1600-h/image001.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj9I_B7S0Mk3gqGJ8RDB0-B2Vct-yPBfFwjAERX0i_unt32KT_ULoOCuM64RCKFVKlLXiIvqwNO_uwSpqBiCxB7gxAjGJvED_Mkj26pIrEV1GgeFyu-6d6MsLmXova30pr8Q/s400/image001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087212043348804882" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-21640096697441191292007-07-14T17:10:00.000-07:002007-07-14T17:19:00.661-07:00credit for bad behaviour !!"There is a new service from Expedia, Travelocity and other travel websites: environmental expiation. If you wish, when you buy a plane ticket, they will figure out how much carbon your trip will be adding to the atmosphere and charge you for it. (For Boston to Los Angeles, about 3,000 miles, it comes to around $9.) The money goes to nonprofit groups that either plant trees to absorb the carbon or produce an equal amount of energy in an eco-friendly way (using windmills and such). You are still increasing the carbon in the air, but someone else, thanks to you, is reducing it by an equal amount. <br /><br />The genius of carbon credits is that it opens up a whole new inventory of things that people can buy and sell. And there is no reason that the principle should be limited to environmentalism.<br /><br />For example, how about a "bad-parenting surcharge." <br />Somewhere in the world there is a parent who is slugging his kid every night. For a price, he would refrain for a night, or even two. By paying that parent not to slug his kid twice, you gain the right to slug your kid just once.<br />It's a win-win-win. You get to slug your kid. This other father gets the money. The other guy's kid is happy--he gets a night off from being slugged."<br />Read more at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1635840,00.htmlAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-76447742541073553522007-06-22T12:05:00.000-07:002008-12-09T12:01:38.308-07:00An optimistic map of America :)An optimistic map of US, showing towns that actually exist!!<br /><br /><br />Click below for a full size map<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcevpESEe1mvxv3qV26x00vxkdvy_uuvw9kTuYBPwrhdsv-3ryenkcsMDCCPEQLP__JVtdwypHqMrWgU1XukP_4f_BrIT2tZomnArYfl-fo9_L4FLkYBtWP5ROITkZJZvL6KA/s1600-h/optimap.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcevpESEe1mvxv3qV26x00vxkdvy_uuvw9kTuYBPwrhdsv-3ryenkcsMDCCPEQLP__JVtdwypHqMrWgU1XukP_4f_BrIT2tZomnArYfl-fo9_L4FLkYBtWP5ROITkZJZvL6KA/s400/optimap.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078973998607399058" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />http://www.holdthemustard.com/Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-48933461291911422662007-06-17T14:52:00.000-07:002007-06-17T14:58:13.311-07:00An excerpt...<em>An excerpt from Mr. N R Narayana Murthy's pre-commencement lecture at the New York University (Stern School of Business) on May 9</em><br /><br />".....The next event that left an indelible mark on me occurred in 1974. The location: Nis, a border town between former Yugoslavia, now Serbia, and Bulgaria. I was hitchhiking from Paris back to Mysore, India, my home town.<br /><br />By the time a kind driver dropped me at Nis railway station at 9 p.m. on a Saturday night, the restaurant was closed. So was the bank the next morning, and I could not eat because I had no local money. I slept on the railway platform until 8.30 pm in the night when the Sofia Express pulled in. <br />The only passengers in my compartment were a girl and a boy. I struck a conversation in French with the young girl. She talked about the travails of living in an iron curtain country, until we were roughly interrupted by some policemen who, I later gathered, were summoned by the young man who thought we were criticising the communist government of Bulgaria.<br />The girl was led away; my backpack and sleeping bag were confiscated. I was dragged along the platform into a small 8x8 foot room with a cold stone floor and a hole in one corner by way of toilet facilities. I was held in that bitterly cold room without food or water for over 72 hours.<br /><br />I had lost all hope of ever seeing the outside world again, when the door opened. I was again dragged out unceremoniously, locked up in the guard's compartment on a departing freight train and told that I would be released 20 hours later upon reaching Istanbul. The guard's final words still ring in my ears -- "You are from a friendly country called India and that is why we are letting you go!".<br /><br />Deep in my heart, I always thank the Bulgarian guards for transforming me from a confused Leftist into a determined, compassionate capitalist!....."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-12050244690469773112007-05-26T10:42:00.000-07:002007-05-26T11:10:12.599-07:00Taste of india !Yesterday, i had lunch with a client at an indian restaurant.<br />naturally, one topic of discussion was the cultural differences between US and India. <br />In between Darrell spoke about 50 yrs of his life, how it was to grow up back in the 70s, how he struggled to make ends meet, how he met his wife, how he narrowly escaped from being drafted out to Vietnam and about his son who came back from Iraq a few weeks ago...<br />On our way back he said.."i think u and me have the same set of goals in life, we all want to have a family, we all want to provide a decent living to our family, we all want to enjoy our lives. i dont care about your nationality, where you come from and shit like that, but i think we all want the same things. If all of us get it, we are all happy campers"<br />and i said "Darrell, thats a very broadminded thought, but many people dont get it".<br />he chuckled "yeah, many people dont get it"<br /><br />good to know someone who doesnt think "the world is US and US is the world"Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-47093089777741405792007-04-16T00:14:00.000-07:002007-04-16T00:15:09.284-07:00fresh from the rain<a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2734436310040412234VwgGqJ"><img src="http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/5392/2734436310040412234S500x500Q85.jpg" alt="DSC01896"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-72458557565207011312007-04-16T00:12:00.001-07:002007-04-16T00:12:59.199-07:00road to mesa verde<a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2251012740040412234PLRpUr"><img src="http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/4154/2251012740040412234S500x500Q85.jpg" alt="DSC02056"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-82749488252545180462007-04-16T00:10:00.000-07:002007-04-16T00:11:08.852-07:00mountain creek<a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2658297660040412234AZgsqT"><img src="http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/3882/2658297660040412234S500x500Q85.jpg" alt="DSC02004"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-13352058031958265202007-04-16T00:08:00.000-07:002007-04-16T00:09:17.303-07:00vallecito lake<a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2448993500040412234VbcGGE"><img src="http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/4767/2448993500040412234S500x500Q85.jpg" alt="DSC01987"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-1168432970499765492007-04-16T00:07:00.001-07:002007-04-16T00:07:29.611-07:00after the rain<a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2704387540040412234raJztZ"><img src="http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/3810/2704387540040412234S500x500Q85.jpg" alt="DSC01974"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37452207.post-12381633856721955712007-04-16T00:01:00.000-07:002007-04-16T00:02:36.562-07:00it was a rainy day @ durango, colorado<a href="http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2302020440040412234GkCwyD"><img src="http://inlinethumb62.webshots.com/2813/2302020440040412234S500x500Q85.jpg" alt="DSC01879"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00338641563922541977noreply@blogger.com2